Cold Front
by Sir Perfluous
Summary: A crucial raid on an Imperial supply depot is put in jeopardy when Claude and Minerva are trapped behind enemy lines. With time running out and enemies closing in, the two rivals must come to terms and set aside their differences in order to survive. (VC4)
1. Red Sky at Morning

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I do not own Valkyria Chronicles or any of its related intellectual property, but I still hope you enjoy the story.  
**

 **Fair warning, this story is set somewhere around the midpoint of the game Valkyria Chronicles 4 so there may be minor spoilers to prior events.**

* * *

The light of the early morning sun glistened off the icy expanse of the Crystal Sea as the Federation snowcruiser _Centurion_ continued on its perilous journey toward the Imperial capital of Schwartzgrad. As the ship cruised along on the seemingly endless tundra, Captain Claude Wallace stood outside on the forward deck of the ship watching the skies. He had barely noticed some of the naval personnel change shifts for their deck watch as he was more focused on the orange and reddish skies that hung on the distant horizon. As much as he tried to banish the thought from his mind, the colors reminded him once of more the fires... not only the traumatic blaze that had destroyed the Miller Company building during his childhood, but of the fires of war which had already claimed so many lives up to now.

Operation Northern Cross had completely stalled out. The ferocious fighting at Siegwall had already been horrific, but so had the fires that had consumed the Federation forces during their retreat in the wake of the ensuing Imperial counterattack. Many lives had been lost during the rout, particularly the decimation of Squad F. Although some time had passed and things began to quiet down, Claude still felt a lingering weight on his heart over the incident. Would he really have been able to save more lives had Squad E come sooner? Would Christel have survived? Or would Squad E have been torn apart by that Imperial tank platoon too?

Even after he reluctantly took the promotion to command the remnants of the shattered Edinburgh Ranger Corps, he was still shaken by the memory of the withering glare and the bitter venom-filled words of Lt. Minerva Victor blaming him for the massacre. Despite being comrades, peers, and classmates at the military academy, she had always seemed to view him more as a rival and she never wasted any opportunity to antagonize him or remind him of her apparent superiority. How ironic it was that she was now serving as his subordinate.

Claude closed his eyes and tried to clear his mind hoping that the cold frigid winds would wash away some of that lingering remorse and uncertainty. He was now doing what he always did on the battlefield; listening to the winds and trying to get a sense of what events were yet to come for good or ill. As the red morning sky on the horizon continued to get brighter, Claude's eyes fluttered open as he got a premonition of danger.

"Claude Wallace... standing around on duty again. Why am I not surprised?" came the snippy voice of 1st Lieutenant Minerva Victor of the Ranger Corps. The young redheaded woman adjusted her glasses and fixed him with her trademark imperious expression as she came to join him by the railing of the ship's bow.

"Oh... Minerva, sorry. I didn't notice you approach just now," he said almost apologetically.

Minerva sighed and shook her head while adjusting her scarf, "Talking to the winds again? What was it you called them back at the Academy? Wind Whispers?"

By now, many who had served alongside Claude in battle knew he had some almost preternatural ability to sense shifts in the winds and the weather, an ability that often served him well in predicting the future and adapting his battle strategies in the field.

He nodded and fixed his gaze toward the light, "Yeah... I had a feeling just now. It was one of danger, maybe even bad luck."

"That could just be because I'm standing here now," Minerva sardonically quipped as she slightly curled her lip.

Claude remained quiet and fixed her with a frown. Whether she was mocking him or making a dark joke about her own squad's recent misfortune, he couldn't be sure. Before he could say anything more, he heard footsteps approach from behind. The two turned to see a young naval ensign approach hesitantly before giving a smart salute to his two superiors, "Captain Wallace? Lieutenant Victor? I'm sorry to interrupt but I came to let you know that Captain Morgan would like to see you both on the bridge as soon as possible. That's all I know."

"Thank you Ensign. We'll be along shortly," Minerva said gently before dismissing the junior officer. She turned back to Claude and said, "Well Claude, I hope you get a good feeling from the wind soon. I have a hunch the captain isn't just summoning us for a social call."

"Come on," Claude said with a more solemn look as he led the way back inside to the warmth of the ship's cabins, "For your sake, let's both hope I'm wrong for once."

* * *

A short time later, the two Army officers made their way to the _Centurion_ 's bridge where the ship's captain was waiting. Captain Roland Morgan was a kindly older naval officer that almost seemed to have a resemblance to Santa Claus without the beard. It was easy to be fooled by his unassuming appearance though but he still knew how to be firm and decisive when the situation called for it. Captain Morgan stood nearby a large table with a sea chart and positions marked out upon it. Close by were two other officers of the Federation Navy, Morgan's aide Lt. Bryan Haddock and the comm officer Marie Bennett who greeted them with quiet nods.

Claude and Minerva both stopped and saluted but Captain Morgan waved it off and gestured them toward the sea chart, "Captain. Lieutenant. Thank you for coming. Please, take a look at this."

The two stepped forward and listened as Captain Morgan led them through some recent updates to the course he plotted.

"As you can see, we are making good time toward the enemy capital," Morgan said, "However, our projections might need to be adjusted for certain circumstances."

"Like the recent skirmishes with those special Imperial forces?" Claude asked.

"Yes... but we're talking of a more pressing one, namely a need for supplies," Lt. Haddock chimed in wearing his normal stoic and serious expression, "After having taken aboard you Rangers unexpectedly, we are going through more food, fuel, and provisions than we originally accounted for."

"That is hardly our fault," Minerva pointed out with a slightly defensive edge in her voice, "We weren't expecting to suddenly become stand-in marines for the Federate Navy either."

Captain Morgan cleared his throat, " Miss Victor. Mr. Haddock, please. There is no need to argue. I've called you here to discuss a change of course so that we can resupply along the way and continue on. See here, there is a coastal city no more than one day from here. The place is called Regensbach and our intelligence sources have confirmed it is a supply depot for the Imperial Army. If we can successfully raid the depot, we should be able to have enough food, munitions, and ragnoline for the attack on Schwartzgrad."

Claude frowned slightly as he eyed the map, "Wait sir, what about our sister ship? Wouldn't it be dangerous to break formation and split off right now?"

Captain Morgan shook his head, "We have reason to believe that the Imperials might have a sense of our course heading. If we temporarily split off and launch a diversionary attack on Regensbach, it might be enough to throw off Imperial intelligence and confuse them for a bit. Can I count on you two to have the Rangers ready for a ground assault once we arrive at our destination?"

The two Edinburgh Army officers saluted, "You can count on us Captain."

* * *

The next morning, the _Centurion_ steamed across the desolate ice fields of the Crystal Sea and made its approach back toward land. It was already worrying enough that those aboard the snowcruiser were deep into enemy territory. They could only hope that they would be able to catch the defenses of the Imperial depot off guard and make it a short battle. Inside one of the loading bays of the cruiser, Claude and his other NCO's worked to coordinate their squad's preparations for the landing party. Once the _Centurion_ got close enough to the land, it would bombard the coast and provide cover fire for the Rangers as they deployed on the ice and assaulted the depot. The infantry of Squad E was already gathered into their fireteams and made themselves busy by checking their weapons and gear. Across the hanger, final preparations and spot checks were being done on the squad's armored vehicles.

"Miles, get the _Hafen_ warmed up so we can be ready to roll," Claude called out to the driver of their squad's tank as he directed some traffic.

The timid younger man gave a quick nod and waved a maintenance crew his way, "Yes sir. I've just got to make sure we're gassed up and all our munitions are loaded and secure first."

Claude nodded and headed out of the hanger but not before checking in with his two other friends on the squad. He found Kai sitting on a supply crate adjusting the sights of her sniper rifle while the Darcsen shocktrooper Raz was busy preparing clips of spare ammo. "Are you guys ready to go too? We're going to be arriving at the coastline soon."

Kai gave a quiet grin and the sniper locked and loaded, "If we manage to find a whole ton of fresh bread lying around the depot's storehouses, then this raid will all be worth it."

"Speak for yourself," Raz mumbled as he continued slotting bullets into a clip, "I've been going stir crazy in this damn ship. Going out and kicking some Imp ass will be some great exercise. Where are you headed off to Claude?"

Claude motioned toward the door, "I'm headed to the top deck to get Riley and Minerva. They're helping spot for the naval gunners right now. Sit tight, I'll be back shortly."

He left the hangers and eventually made his way through the Centurion's corridors until he reached the hatch leading out to the top deck of the ship. He buttoned up his winter jacket and braced himself as he was hit by a rush of frigid air while stepping outside. As he walked out on the deck, he noticed that morning sky was a foreboding red color again. What was that old saying of the mariners again? Red sky at morning, sailor take warning? He brushed off the superstitious ideas for a few minutes and ambled over toward one of the gun batteries as they began to fire on the coastline. Although the Imperial forces in Regensbach would now be scrambling, the _Centurion_ 's gunners would need at least a few more volleys to properly adjust and range their weapons fire. At one of the forward batteries, Minerva stood holding a pair of binoculars calling out coordinates while Riley Miller helped the crews calibrate the aim of the guns. The young blonde haired engineer seemed right at home with ballistic weapons, and the ship's cannons were a step up from her usual duties of working a mortar for the squad. Despite the tense situation, Claude could not help but take a moment to quietly admire how natural and beautiful Riley looked right now.

"Adjust 5 degrees right, elevate 3, fire for effect," Minerva announced while the gun crew worked quickly.

Riley turned and looked up, gracing him with a bright smile, "Claude, you came just in time. The fireworks have just started."

The guns went off again and once the recoil and shockwaves subsided, Claude called out, "Riley, Minerva, I came to call you back to the hangers! The squad will be deploying soon."

"Bummer," Riley sighed in disappointment, "I was hoping I could modify some of these artillery shells and see if they worked any better."

Claude gave a mild shrug to Riley before he turned to his other subordinate Lieutenant, "Minerva?"

"In a minute Claude," she replied tersely, "If you hadn't noticed, I'm making myself useful here right now."

Before he could argue with her, there were a few flashes and roars that came from the shoreline. Everyone on the deck of the _Centurion_ squinted their eyes and looked in surprise as a bright plume of artillery fire arced upwards from Regensbach. The projectile looked to be a special ragnite powered shot and once it reached the peak of its ascent, the shell exploded splitting off into several smaller projectiles that rained down.

"What the hell is that?" Riley gasped in surprise as she tried to figure out what kind of new weapon she was looking at.

"There's some kind of custom shore battery set up," Minerva replied through gritted teeth as she continued to look through her binoculars, "Whatever it is, it looks big and powerful. Federation intel didn't tell us about this!"

Claude glanced up at the hail of falling ragnite rounds that rained down around the approaching snowcruiser, "Incoming!"

The projectiles landed on the icefields around the _Centurion_ and violently exploded, kicking up sprays of snow and shards of ice. The ship shook violently and the deck crews gave panicked shouts while Claude grabbed Riley and pulled her down to the deck for safety. As the blast subsided, the special shore gun defending the Imperial depot fired again raining another hail of destruction down upon the Federate cruiser.

"Riley, are you okay?" Claude asked as he held her by the arms and she looked to him fearfully. She gave nod before an announcement from the ship's bridge came over the intercoms.

"All hands, evacuate the deck and brace yourselves. We're taking evasive action and falling back to safety!"

"Claude! Riley! Don't just stand around!" Minerva shouted impatiently, "Get moving! Get to cover!"

Just then, the second volley of the shore guns landed around the _Centurion_ and jostled it again. The ship swayed abruptly and a blinding cloud of snow washed over the deck knocking everyone off balance. Minerva gave a panicked shriek as she pitched backward from the sudden impact and began to go over the railing. Before she could fall, she caught hold of one of the rungs and clung desperately to it while Claude rushed over to help. He reached out over the deck railing and grabbed his comrade's forearm trying to pull her back up to safety, "Minerva! Hang on, I've got you!"

For a minute, he almost thought he saw a slight scowl cross her face and he wondered if Minerva hated the thought of her life being saved by him. As he strained to try and pull her up from their awkward position he heard Riley's voice call out from behind in concern, "Claude! It's dangerous out here! Let me help you!"

"Negative! Take the other crewmen and get back to safety Riley!" Claude shouted back.

Riley prepared to ignore his order and rush over to his side to help when more Imperial fire landed nearby. The _Centurion_ was jolted and Claude gave a shocked gasp as he was thrown off balance again and pitched forward over the railing. He kept his grip on Minerva and the two officers yelled in terror as they plummeted end over end in the air. Riley gave a panicked scream and rushed to the edge of the railing, helplessly reaching out as she saw Claude and Minerva disappear into the cloud of snow and steam around the hull of the battleship. Hot tears of fear and desperation welled up in her blue eyes as Riley continued to shout impotently into the chaos around her, hoping it would somehow bring Claude and Minerva back.

She stopped as she suddenly felt two navy crewmen grab her by the shoulders and pull her back to her feet, "Come on ma'am. We have to go! It's not safe here!"

"But Claude..."

"There's nothing we can do for your friends right now ma'am. Please!" the sailors insisted as they pulled her back inside to the safety of the ship's inner cabins.

The shore guns from Regensbach fired a few more times but the shots went wide as the _Centurion_ abruptly changed course and veered away from the coastline. The Federation cruiser had been lucky to have not suffered any damage, but had it continued on its course, it would have been seriously wounded from the special customized gun emplacement that had been installed by the depot. For much of the waiting Ranger Corps, there was a lot of confusion and speculation as to why they had suddenly aborted their attack and where their commanders had gone. It only be a matter of time for Riley to make it back down the hangers and deliver the bad news, news that would not help the morale of the Federation soldiers any more.

* * *

As the fire from the shoreline died away and the cruiser _Centurion_ steamed back off into the relative safety of the frozen Crystal Sea, Claude groaned and struggled to open his eyes. He had remembered taking a great fall over the edge of the ship with Minerva and then he was blinded by whiteness. His head still swam and he shook away some of the stars from his vision. It appeared he had landed in a large snowbank and the soft snow had done much to break what would have otherwise been a lethal fall into the ice. His body still felt sore and bruised and he struggled to try and get back up. He saw Minerva laying unconscious in the snow nearby and he crawled over beside her, giving her shoulder a weak shake.

"Minerva? Hey... are you okay?"

No response. He didn't know if she was injured or had broken anything but at least she was still breathing.

As Claude struggled to stay conscious himself, he tried to figure out what to do. The _Centurion_ was quickly cruising out of range leaving them stranded in no man's land amid the snowy wastes. He looked up to the morning skies and saw the red pall that hung over it only grow brighter. Maybe he should have taken it as a bad omen after all. His sight shifted over toward Regensbach as a small cloud of snow began to grow in the near distance. If he had to guess, that was an Imperial mechanized armor unit of APCs and light tanks coming to do a sweep. As the enemy convoy drew nearer, Claude felt exhaustion overwhelm him as he lay his head back down and rolled over into the snow. He was in no condition to resist and as his vision went dark again, he prayed that if the Imperials didn't get him first, then the icy fangs of winter would spare him and Minerva any more suffering at their hands.


	2. Prisoners of War

Minerva Victor gave a low groan and slowly cracked open her eyes. As her vision cleared, she tried to figure out where she was and what had happened. She remembered falling off the edge of the _Centurion_ and she remembered Claude trying to save her. There had been another explosion and a spray of snow before they both went overboard in a terrifying free-fall. She thought that was it, that she was dead and that her short service to the army of the Atlantic Federation was over. It seemed fate had other plans for her.

She slowly raised her head and saw she was alive and well. Instead of lying in the icy wastes she was on a cot within a relatively warmer holding cell. Her wrists were bound with rope and she was relieved her glasses were still intact and on her face. She sat up and brushed some of her long red clear of her face before she focused on her dreary surroundings. She immediately heard her name and saw Claude shuffle over in the cell. "Minerva! You're awake. Are you okay?"

"I think so," she grunted, "What happened? Where are we?"

Claude grimaced, "After we fell off the ship, I saw an Imperial armored patrol coming from Regensbach before I passed out. It looks like they found us and took us prisoner."

"Part of me wishes they just finished us off and spared us the humiliation of capture," she mumbled darkly.

"Come on, don't say that," Claude frowned quietly, "All we have to do is figure out a way to escape..."

"And then what?" Minerva hissed petulantly, "We've been left behind by the _Centurion_. Where the hell would we go? We'd freeze to death out there on the tundra and you know it."

"So we're just supposed to give up then?" Claude argued, "That doesn't sound like you at all Minerva. We need to have some faith. I'll bet right now, Captain Morgan and Squad E is trying to figure out a way to save us. If they won't give up on us, we can't either."

"Are you listening to yourself?" Minerva huffed, "You're being an idealistic idiot and just trusting fate? We're in an enemy prison!"

"But we're still alive," Claude countered.

Their quiet argument was immediately cut off as the chamber doors opened and a pair of Imperial shocktroopers entered. One of the guards gave a derisive sneer, "Well... looks like Sleeping Beauty is finally awake. It's about time."

"I am a Federation officer," Minerva responded defiantly, "You can't talk to me like that."

"Calm your tits girlie, we're not here to talk," the other guard responded gruffly.

Minerva gave Claude a little push forward and hissed, "Don't just stand there... say something!"

"What do you want?" Claude frowned to the Imperial guards.

"We're here to take you in for questioning. The base commander would like a word with you two," the guards said as they opened the cell and led them out at gunpoint, "Now get moving Federation scum."

The two officers reluctantly did as they were told and followed the guards out of the guardhouse and across a snowy lawn until they came to what looked like the main offices of the base commander. The decor was a little nicer and building was nice and warm. Several other guards stood on duty and gave curious looks as the prisoners passed by. Claude and Minerva were escorted to a large briefing room with a large oak table and comfortable seats. Upon one wall, a large map of Europa was hung and along the other was the red and gold flag of the Empire with its double headed eagle.

The guards had the two sit down and tied their wrists to the chairs while a man and a younger woman sat watching them from the head of the briefing room table. Judging by their black uniforms with gold trim, the two were Imperial officers, probably affiliated with some special elite unit. The man with more ornamentation on his uniform looked to be middle aged, with a large powerful build and a neatly trimmed horseshoe style mustache. His skin was a pale complexion and his dark hair was slicked back. Beside him sat a younger woman with catlike features. She watched the prisoners with her green eyes before brushing aside her long blonde hair which was worn in a tight braid over her shoulder.

The male base commander greeted the two Federation officers with an oily smile, "Welcome to Regensbach. I'm Lieutenant Colonel Reiner Haussler and this is my aide, Lt. Irina Albrecht. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

Claude and Minerva exchanged a quick look with each other and remained silent as they stared down the Imperial commander. Reiner sighed and gestured to a steaming kettle and some cups sitting before them, "Where are my manners? Irina, do be a dear and pour our guests some tea?"

"No thank you Colonel," Minerva answered with a frown.

Irina scowled and poured some tea in a cup for Reiner before sitting down beside him again. Col. Haussler smiled, "Now... where were we? Who do I have the pleasure of addressing?"

"1st Lieutenant Minerva Victor, Edinburgh Army," Minerva answered briskly before giving Claude a little nudge with her knee.

"Right... Captain Claude Wallace, Edinburgh Army," he added.

Col. Haussler smirked in amusement, "Ah... so you must be the commanding officer then? Do you always have your subordinates speak for you?"

Claude paused a moment feeling self conscious. At times he tended to clam up in situations and he didn't want to be mocked for looking too weak or ineffectual either. He frowned and answered the insult with an even voice, "Besides my name rank and serial number, I'm afraid I won't have much else to say to you Colonel."

Reiner laughed gently, "Oh I doubt that will be the case my dear Captain. You see, my aide Lt. Albrecht can be very persuasive when she chooses."

Irina rose quietly and the lithe graceful Imperial female strode over with a wicked smile on her face. Now it was Minerva's turn to level an insult, "Are all your female staff officers nothing but compliant little lapdogs?"

Irina lashed out and struck Minerva across the face with a stinging open handed slap, "Do not insult Col. Haussler. Unlike you uppity Federation whores, we women of the Empire are modest and know our place. We are happy with the social order and we are even happier to serve."

Minerva looked up defiantly and gave a scornful laugh earning her another harsh slap in the face. Claude winced and called out in a more aggressive voice, "Stop it! That's enough!"

Irina whirled around ready to strike Claude too but Col. Haussler calmly raised a hand to stop her. He wore his easy going smile and waited for Irina to step back, "A wise decision Captain Wallace. I can admire a commander who cares about the welfare of their subordinates."

"Claude, what are you doing?" Minerva hissed irritably but Claude silenced her.

"That's enough Minerva. Let me speak," Claude answered rebuking her with a hard look.

She swallowed her indignation and fell silent before Claude looked back to Col. Haussler. The Imperial commander folded his hands, "Now... what would the Federation be doing all the way out here in Regensbach?"

"Reconnaissance," Claude said giving a half truth, "We were trying to gauge your recent distribution of forces."

"An interesting story, but one that I don't quite believe," Col. Haussler responded, "These new weapons of your Federation... these snowcruisers are causing a bit of a panic you see. Your ships have been running amok in Imperial territory unchecked for some time. My guess is that you were looking to replenish your supplies."

Claude frowned and remained quiet causing Haussler to laugh, "I wasn't born yesterday boy. I'm sure your ship captain saw a prime target in the Regensbach depot and you thought we would be unprepared. It seems you were the ones who underestimated us this time."

"That special shore battery with the ragnite powered rounds..." Claude began.

"A little experimental weapon gifted to us by Lord Heinrich Belgar and his X-O organization. Perhaps you are familiar with him? Last I heard he had taken on some reinforcements... an elite armored tank platoon called Ausbruch, commanded by Lt. Colonel Klaus Walz?"

Claude and Minerva both wore troubled looks that Haussler would know all this. Col. Haussler's grin got wider as he continued to slowly twist the knife, "I had also heard that Ausbruch had massacred a battalion of the Edinburgh forces spearheading your attack on the Imperial capital."

That set Minerva off and she wore an incensed expression as she spoke up, "How dare you! I won't let you speak so lightly of all those brave soldiers who were butchered on the coast."

Haussler took a sip of tea, "You speak with the lofty prideful tone of a noblewoman Lieutenant. I'm guessing you're one of them... from Edinburgh?"

"Yes, and I was one of the squad commanders," Minerva said.

"I see... then perhaps you're willing to tell me more about your snowcruiser or what the Federation's plans are? Noble to noble?"

Minerva raised her nose in the air, "Never."

"Pity... I wonder then if you still feel the same outrage and compassion for your comrades," Col. Haussler sighed as he snapped his fingers, "Lt. Albrecht?"

Irina took a cup of the tea and surprised Minerva by suddenly splashing it in the face of Claude instead. Claude cried in pain and alarm before Irina struck him across the face and caused him to topple over to the ground, still bound to his chair. Minerva watched in shock and horror as Haussler sat idly drinking his tea while Lt. Albrecht began to kick Claude in the ribs with sadistic glee. Claude grunted again as he was kicked and Minerva gave a pleading look to Haussler. The Imperial commander sat impassively amid the sight of the brutal act seeming to not be bothered in the slightest. In fact, he seemed bored if anything.

As much as she hated to admit it, deep down there was a part of Minerva that was enjoying watching Claude getting beaten into the ground. It was something she had often tried yet failed to do. Minerva had come from a proud noble family in Edinburgh and she had worked hard to earn her own place as a commander in the Atlantic Federation's elite Ranger Corps. Through her service, it had always irritated her that she had been constantly overshadowed by the likes of Claude, a skittish and soft-spoken Gallian. He had edged her out of the class rank at the Academy. He and his squad had won a string of spectacular victories that got more attention than the efforts of her squad, and he had even defeated her in some recent practice wargames. Even more, part of her still blamed him for the decimation of her own squad at the hands of Ausbruch.

Despite that part of her that still wanted to punish him for all those perceived insults to her honor, she acknowledged he was still a comrade and didn't deserve to suffer like this either. He had tried to save her from falling off the Centurion and right now, he was the only ally she had left here within this lion den. She winced and finally called out, "Enough! Stop it, please!"

"Irina," the Colonel said causing his subordinate to hold her next kick and back off. He turned to Minerva, "Was there something more you wanted to say Lieutenant?"

"Minerva... what are you doing? Don't say anything to him," Claude groaned from the ground.

She ignored him and looked to Haussler with a hard glare, "I'll start talking... just please, don't kill him."

"Of course. After all, we're not complete savages," Haussler grinned as Irina opened the door and summoned some guards. Two Imperial soldiers walked in and the Colonel gestured to Claude on the ground, "Take the captain back to his holding cell. I still have a few more questions for our other guest."

The soldiers hauled Claude to his feet and dragged him out of the room and complex. As they pulled him by the arms out into the cold to go back to the guardhouse, Claude perked up slightly as he felt the wind shift slightly and give an unusual whistle. He paused as if trying to read the skies before he felt one of the guards shove him forward, "Come on. Keep moving."

He sighed and reluctantly did as he was told hoping that Minerva knew what she was doing. They were already in a bad spot and had few options left. Short of praying for a longshot rescue by their friends, they could only hope they could survive long enough to figure out a way to make it out of Regensbach alive.

* * *

Meanwhile, aboard the Federation snowcruiser _Centurion_ , the officers of Squad E gathered on the bridge to speak with Captain Morgan in an emergency meeting. Riley was still beside herself with grief as she sat off to the sidelines draped in a blanket while Kai offered her a warm cup of coffee to try and cheer her up. "This is all my fault. I should have stopped him... or maybe done something to help. If we were able to pull Minerva up faster..."

"Don't do this Riley," Kai said gently as she put a comforting hand on her comrade's shoulder, "There's no point in playing the what-if game."

"God... I don't know who's a bigger idiot. Him or me," Riley said shaking her head to herself, "What if he's hurt out there? Or captured? Or... worse? I'll never get a chance to..."

"Yes you will," Kai said trying to sound just as reassuring to herself for the fate of her friend, "When we find a way to bring him and Minerva back, you can talk to him then."

Nearby, a heated discussion was also going on. The shocktrooper Raz was up in arms and doing everything he could to keep from hauling off on someone, "What do you mean we called off the attack? Claude is out there somewhere! We have to go find him!"

"Sergeant, are you out of your damn mind?" Lt. Haddock said heatedly, "If we got any closer to Regensbach and took a direct hit from that cannon, we'd be splattered all over the ice."

"So we're supposed to do nothing?" Raz protested, "If you guys are too scared to go back then I'll go back out there myself and drag Claude's ass all the way back here."

"Do you know how many orders you'd be violating and how much you would endanger our mission further?" Haddock retorted. Raz grabbed Haddock's collar but their argument was broken up by Captain Morgan.

"Gentlemen! Enough! As it stands, we are in a bad position. Our officers are still out there and the ship is in need of supplies, but we can't risk approaching because of that special gun emplacement on the shore."

Haddock slapped aside Raz's hand and restrained his own temper while speaking evenly again, "Then what would the captain suggest we do?"

Morgan furrowed his brows in deep thought and remained silent for a long moment. "We'll hold our position for now and give them time. If they survived, we can try to make contact with them but we cannot spare more than two days. If worst comes to worst, we may have to pull back and return to our course for Schwartzgrad."

"So that's it? We have to just sit and wait?" Raz grumbled impatiently.

Kai shook her head and sighed, "It's the best compromise we can get. If Claude and Minerva are still out there and if they can actually hear us, we just have to hope that we can organize a rescue party for them."

Riley nodded and began to head for the door, "She's right. Come on... we'd better tell the rest of the squad. I'm sure they're not going to be happy about this, but they still deserve to know."

As the Rangers left the bridge, Captain Morgan watched them depart with an apologetic look while Lt. Haddock gave a huff and straightened his uniform, "Damn ground pounders. We let those ruffians on our ship and now they think they're running the whole operation."

"Have a little understanding Mr. Haddock. They're worried about their comrades and it seems they genuinely care about them too. Wouldn't you try to move heaven and earth to try and save one of your naval comrades? If it were Marie, or even I?"

The younger Lieutenant grimaced and gave a silent nod conceding the point, "Aye sir, I'd like to think I would."

Captain Morgan thoughtfully looked out over the ice and folded his hands behind his back, "Then let's give our allies the only thing we can right now... a little bit of faith, and just a little more time."


	3. Saboteurs

As early evening began to fall, Claude Wallace lay on the cot in his holding cell. As he rested, he listened carefully to the winter winds that whistled outside against the small narrow glass window that was high above and just out of reach. He had already combed the entire sparsely furnished cell and found nothing very useful to effect an escape. There were no easily accessible pipes or slats of wood he could use as a lever or crowbar, nor were there any items he could use to create a weapon or a lock pick. In the midst of his enemy, he hated the feeling of being powerless and he missed fighting from within his beloved tank, the _Hafen_. For as cramped and uncomfortable as it could be sometimes, taking on the enemy while encased in armor with a heavy gun turret was reassuring. Without the _Hafen_ , Claude felt very naked and vulnerable. At least for now, all he could do was wait for Minerva to return.

After a while, he heard the doors open and saw two armed guards walk in escorting his comrade. They let her back in the holding cell and locked it before walking back outside again. Claude sat up slowly, "Minerva? What happened? Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she said sitting down on a chair against the wall, "Don't worry. I'm not hurt. All I did was talk with the colonel."

Claude sighed in relief remembering the vicious methods used by Haussler's subordinate Irina. "You didn't give him anything important, did you?"

"Don't be an idiot, of course I didn't," Minerva scowled looking almost offended that he would suggest a thing, "He was asking more about our squads and the _Centurion_. I told a bunch of lies to throw him off for now. I just hope it'll be able to buy us enough time before he figures out I was blowing him smoke. After that... who knows what they'll do to us?"

Claude nodded solemnly, "About what you did back there... I just wanted to say, thank you."

Minerva looked up with slight surprise before shrugging it off, "Well... you're welcome. I just didn't want to see a fellow officer get tortured. Are you okay?"

He nodded and rubbed his side gingerly, "I'll live. My ribs are a little bruised but nothing I can't deal with. I don't think anything is broken."

Minerva nodded, slightly encouraged by the news, "Good. I'd hate to have to carry your weight around when we get out of here. Any luck with scouting this place?"

Claude shook his head, "I'm afraid not. There's not much to work with in here, but I did notice something outside when I was being dragged back here. The wind shifted. There's going to be snowstorm tonight. My guess is that it'll start in a few hours."

"Okay... how does that help us?" Minerva asked crossing her arms.

"If we can break out of here, we can escape under the cover of the wind and snow," Claude explained, "When Operation Northern Cross fell apart, my squad had done the same thing when were on the run from the Imperial counterattack."

"All right... assume we break out and get free. Where are we going to go?" Minerva continued, "Going into the town of Regensbach is going to be risky as is."

Claude smiled, "We go where the Imperials will least expect us to go. We'll make a raid on their custom shore battery. We knock that thing out of commission and signal the _Centurion_ to come."

Minerva stared at him in silence for a long moment, "You're insane Claude, you know that? Your squad might have pulled off some ballsy stunts in the past, but you're suggesting the two of us can actually sabotage the enemy from behind their own lines and get away with it?"

"Unless you have any better ideas," he argued, "We can sit here and wait for Haussler to figure out we're lying before putting us in front of a firing squad."

Minerva scowled. She hated to admit it, but he was probably right. She gave a slight nod, "Point taken. If we die, better that we do it freely on our own terms, eh? I can live with that."

"Now all we have to do is figure out a way to break free of this cell," Claude sighed in dismay.

Minerva scratched her chin and gave a devilish grin before breaking a leg off the wooden chair she was sitting on, "Hmm... leave that to me. I think I might have an idea."

* * *

Some time later, as the skies grew dark outside, Claude's weather prediction had been right. The wind had begun to intensify and the snow had kicked up outside. As it howled against the window, Claude lay on the cot with his back turned while bundled up in some of the blankets that were provided. Once he was in place, Minerva began to bang on the bars of the cell and shout loudly for help from a guard. After a minute of commotion, the door opened and a guard entered. Despite having his armored visor up, it was clear he must have been wearing an irritated look on his face, "What the hell is going on here? What's all the noise?"

"Guard, come quick!" Minerva shouted in outrage, "Go get a medic or a doctor!"

She pointed to Claude who lay motionless on the cot, "Claude... he stopped breathing and I think he might be dying or something!"

"What?" the guard asked incredulously.

"Your lovely commander Lt. Albrecht was beating the crap out of him in an interrogation earlier!" Minerva insisted in a panic, "She probably broke a rib or collapsed his lung! He said he wasn't feeling good earlier so he tried to take a nap and now he's like this! Hurry up and do something!"

The guard opened the cell and gestured for her to stand back with his gun as he came over to inspect the body. Claude did his best to hold still and the moment he was rolled over, he smashed the guard in the face with the leg of a broken wooden stool. As the armored guard staggered back, Minerva disarmed him from behind while Claude clubbed him in the head again to knock him out cold.

Fortunately the howling wind outside muffled some of the noise from the scuffle as Claude and Minerva worked quickly to take what they could from the guard and then leave him locked up in their place lying on the cot with a blanket over him. They used a combat knife to cut their bonds and then took the guard's weapons and supply kit. Claude disguised himself in the armor of the Imperial guard and then walked Minerva out of the cell block. To their amazement, they passed by several other guards without a question or a second look. When they finally reached the guard posted just outside the building, he stopped them. To their surprise, he saluted as it looked like Claude was wearing the armor of an Imperial sergeant.

"Sergeant? What's going on? Where are you taking the prisoner?"

Claude paused and wracked his brain for an answer, "Uh... at ease soldier. I'm doing a prisoner transfer."

"At this hour? And in this weather?" the guard asked.

Claude thought quickly, "This transfer is on the personal orders of Col. Haussler. He was looking for something to keep him warm on a cold night like this... if you catch my drift."

Minerva turned with a horrified look to Claude but he pinched her arm to keep her silent. Despite him wearing a visor that covered most of his face, Claude gave a sly wink to the Imperial private.

"Ahhh... right," the private said conspiratorially while looking Minerva up and down in a leering way. Even with the Federation's standard issue heavy winter coat, it was hard for any man not to notice Minerva's rather curvaceous figure underneath. "We wouldn't want to keep Col. Haussler waiting."

"Smart man," Claude nodded and returned the salute before moving past him, "Carry on private."

Once they left the main complex, the two hurried off into the darkness and skirted the edge of the supply depot just out of range of the roving spotlights. Minerva growled and gave Claude a light punch in the arm, "You pig. What you said back there was pretty disgusting, you know that?"

"Hey, it got us past the checkpoint didn't it?" Claude said as he stripped out of the armor and handed her their stolen rifle along with a few clips of ammo, "Come on. Let's keep moving."

Once they slipped under a weak spot in the fencing, they quickly ran through the dark winter snowstorm to put some distance between them and the military installation. As they headed down a slope which led to Regensbach proper, they looked out over the coastline to get their bearings. Minerva pointed northward toward a point with an elevated beacon of light about a half mile off, "Over there. I remember seeing the enemy fire come from that direction when we approached the city. That must be the coastal gun battery."

The two continued on through the cover of darkness braving the icy ground and the stinging of the winds and blinding snow. They hustled through the snowy terrain until they reached the edge of the coastal tower housing the experimental cannon. As they crept closer over a snowbank, the two spied a sentry walking a short patrol around the main door. With the howling storm outside, was wasn't going to stray too far from the safety and warmth of his post, not did he expect any kind of intruders in this storm. Claude and Minerva watched as the sentry paced and went through his motions before Claude dug into his backpack. He produced a flashlight and hefted it before he started to move off some distance. "I'll draw the guard's attention. You think you can get a clear shot?"

Minerva readied her rifle and wiped her glasses clear with a grim nod, "Of course."

She hunkered down and waited as Claude got into position and went prone. When the guard came back around, Claude flashed the flashlight and caught his attention. The guard stopped and raised his assault rifle, "Halt! Who goes there?"

Claude flashed the light directly into the sentry's eyes to blind him while Minerva lined up a perfect headshot and fired. Fortunately, the winds and snowstorm outside again muffled the noise of the rifle shot and the falling of the guard. Claude immediately dragged the body into the snowbank and tried to cover the trail of red snow before fishing out the keys to the tower door. As Minerva came over, Claude took the dead sentry's rifle and picked up one of his grenades too, "Nice shot. Mind if I give it a go this time?"

A few minutes later, the three other Imperial guards who were huddled up and camping within the tower's guardhouse heard the lock rattle and the door open. They looked up in surprise from their card game before a grenade was pitched into the center of the room and the door slammed shut. Seconds later, an explosion lit up the guardhouse room before being drowned out by the storm. Claude and Minerva opened the door again and let some of the smoke clear before they carefully entered the room. Claude swept the room and didn't linger over the carnage splattered along the walls before giving a nod to Minerva, "Clear."

She hurried over and picked up some gear on the wall from one of the mangled Imperials who looked to be an engineer. She reached into his knapsack and found several small bricks of plastic explosives that they used to do demolition of obstacles in the field. She gave Claude a tense grin, "These will do just fine."

They hurried up the winding steps of the tower until they reached the top and found the firing control room for the ragnite powered artillery cannon. Minerva immediately got to work and began to place the explosives around vital parts of the cannon while Claude found a radio communication setup on one of the far walls. No doubt this was used to give and receive coordinates and firing instructions from the Imperial base. This setup wasn't too different from the smaller portable radio transmitter he used in the _Hafen_ as he was constantly directing the flow of battle around him and giving orders from his tank. As he began to go through the channels and sort through the chatter, Minerva glanced up impatiently while she worked, "Claude, what are you doing? We don't have time for this. I need your help here."

"Hang on," he said, "I'm trying to find a Federation channel we can use to broadcast a distress signal."

After a minute of searching, he came across a garbled signal that sounded like it might have been coming from their own forces. The voice sounded like it belonged to Marie and was put on a loop. He listened closer and heard it was a message from the _Centurion_ to Claude and Minerva, that if they were still alive to please respond. He boosted the signal as much as he could knowing the signal was probably being hampered by the storm, "Come in _Centurion_ , this Captain Claude Wallace. Do you copy?"

He tried several times before he got a startled reply from Marie on the bridge of the ship, "Claude? Is that really you?"

"Yeah, it's me. I'm okay and so is Minerva."

"Where are you? And how are you managing with this storm going on?" she asked over a static-filled line.

"She and I were captured but we broke free. We don't have a lot of time now. We've just sabotaged the coastal gun battery so that you can try to attack Regensbach again. Please relay that message to the captain immediately."

Marie paused and sounded stunned, "Of course. You're sure? How are we going to pick you up?"

Claude glanced at a map on the wall and gave her a set of coordinates on the nearby coastline. "Minerva and I will do our best to evade capture during the night. We'll meet you at that location when you begin an attack tomorrow."

He turned as he heard Minerva call out and wave him toward the door, "Claude! Hurry up! The charges are set! Let's go!"

He nodded and transmitted one more message, "We've got to go Marie. Wish us luck and don't worry too much. We'll be home soon. Please tell my squad... and Riley, okay?"

"Understood Captain. Good luck."

Claude scrambled the communicator again and hurried out the door with Minerva. The two Federation officers hustled down the stairs and back out of the tower, continuing to run and put as much distance as they could before the inevitable happened. They had gotten a couple hundred yards clear before the top of the tower exploded in a brilliant cloud of fire and plumes of volatile blue ragnite. The two allies fell over face-first into the snow and stared at their handiwork before they scrambled to their feet and began to run through the darkness toward the edges of Regensbach proper located below the ridge-lines. It was certain that an alarm would be raised and that Haussler would find out that they escaped in the night. Right now, they could only hope that they could find a relatively safe place to hide while moving under the cover of the snowstorm. The Imperial forces would be disorganized enough right now trying to figure out what happened so that would buy them a little more time too. They could only hope it would be enough.

* * *

As warning sirens sounded throughout the Imperial supply depot and other military installations, soldiers were roused from their sleep and scrambled to respond to the threat. No one quiet knew what was going on yet and the officers did their best to try and calm their men so that they could come up with a plan. Lt. Col. Haussler was roused from his sleep as a garrison major knocked on the door to his room. Haussler emerged bleary eyed and annoyed as the major saluted, "Sir, we have a situation. It seems the Federation officers who were being held prisoner have escaped."

"What?"

"That's not all sir," the major continued, "There's been an... accident."

Haussler narrowed his eyes, "What kind of accident?"

The major shifted uncomfortably, "The uh... coastal defense gun has... well, it's exploded. The entire tower has been blown sky high."

Haussler stood silent and stared at his subordinate with an incredulous expression. The major waited before speaking hesitantly, "Sir? What are your orders?"

"I want you to find out how this happened. Learn who is responsible. I want search parties to be organized to find those Federation officers. Bring them to me and I'll deal with them myself."

"Sir, there's a raging snowstorm outside. Are you really sure about..."

Haussler grabbed the major by the collar and shook him, "Do I sound like I'm not sure, Major? Snowstorm or not, find those escaped prisoners! I don't care what it takes."

Lt. Col. Haussler released the startled major with with growl and went back inside his room to change. It seemed he would have a very busy night ahead of him after all.

* * *

Meanwhile, Claude and Minerva made it to the outskirts of the coastal settlement of Regensbach proper when they heard the sirens go off. It was guaranteed that the Imperial soldiers were now responding, and would likely head this way at some point. The two continued trudging on through the dark snows as they approached what looked to be a cottage with a barn house. Minerva squinted through the storm, "Do you think we should try the barn? It doesn't look like there's anyone there."

Claude grimaced, "If the Imperial patrols come this way, I'll bet they'll search the cottage and the barn for sure. That would be too obvious."

"Then where are we supposed to lay low? We'll freeze out here," Minerva said before she tripped and stumbled on something.

Claude bent down and helped her to her feet before he noticed what she had tripped on. It looked to be the edge of a storm cellar that been buried in the accumulating snow drifts. He fished around in the snow and brushed some aside before he found the handle for the doors and slightly opened up an entrance for them. "We can hunker down in here. Hopefully the snowy winds will give us just enough cover and the place is out of the way."

Minerva reluctantly agreed and made her way inside before Claude followed after and closed the door behind them making sure that it was still camouflaged by the snowdrifts. They flicked on their flashlights and took a look around the small cramped underground cellar. There wasn't a whole lot of room, but it would be enough to stretch out a little. A few assorted farm tools lay propped against the wall and a shelf of canned foods and preserves sat on the other end. While the cellar was still relatively damp and cold, it was worlds better than being out in the elements of the stinging blizzard. Claude set his stolen knapsack down and took his procured rifle, "All right, we should be safe here for now. I'll stand first watch so why don't you rest up a little. I have a feeling it's going to be a very long night."


	4. Fraternizing with the Enemy

The long cold night wore on and Claude and Minerva did their best to make the most of their situation. Although they couldn't start a campfire within the storm cellar, they decided to light a small kerosene lantern from the looted field gear of the Imperials. Although it wasn't a viable heat source, the warm comforting light that it provided helped to buoy their spirits and give them some glimmer of hope that they would in fact be safe through the night. After drinking water from their canteens and eating some dry rations of jerky, biscuits, and died fruit, the two comrades settled in for the evening.

Claude remained at his post by the steps leading outside while holding his rifle. At the far edge of the cellar Minerva sat upright by the lantern draped in a field blanket trying to get some rest. After a time, Claude turned when he heard the soft sound of chattering teeth and he looked over to find Minerva who sat shivering. She shifted restlessly, trying to get comfortable and generate a little extra heat from the movement, but it was little use.

She opened her eyes in surprise when she felt Claude come over and sit down beside her offering her his own blanket, "Here. Maybe this will help."

"It's fine. I can manage on my own," she said shifting away and turning her head.

Claude gave a sigh and left the blanket at her side, "You know… you can drop the whole act Minerva. I'm not your enemy here."

"Of course I know that! But you shouldn't think that all of a sudden we're going to start being friends either," she replied petulantly as she huddled up further in her blanket.

Claude sat quietly and leaned against the wall of the cellar, "You seemed concerned enough when I was getting beaten earlier."

"I was paying you back for earlier," Minerva explained primly, "You did risk yourself to try and keep me from falling off the _Centurion_. I… just hate letting my debts to people go unpaid."

Claude nodded and exhaled a long cloud of steam, "Well… then it looks like I might have to keep paying you back with interest for the rest of my life. I know you still don't forgive me for what happened to your squad."

Minerva balled her fists for a moment before trying to relax. She spoke in a deadly cold voice, "What's done is done Claude. There's no point in bringing that up again."

"Yet you won't let it go either," Claude argued quietly, "I already explained to you what happened... why Squad E was late, and if we would have done any better against that ambush."

Minerva took a deep breath and exhaled before speaking again, "I know that now… I know I shouldn't blame you. It will still take time to forgive you for that… but it's not the only reason I keep asking myself that of all people I have to get stuck here with… why did it have to be you?"

He blinked in silence causing her to shake her head in derision, "What? You've got nothing to say to that? Tch. Typical."

Another long silence hung in the air as the glowing light of the lantern flickered along the shadowy walls of the cellar before he spoke again, "You remember what you had told me before the Battle of Siegval? Is that all still true? About hating me?"

Minerva turned in surprise, "What? What are you talking about? Why are you saying this now?"

He handed her the rifle with a hard look, "If you really hate me that much and can't stand being around me, then stop with your petty barbs and do something about it. You want your revenge, so start with me if you find me that repulsive. You want to be the new ace of the Ranger Corps? Well now's your chance. Take it!"

Minerva tried to give the rifle back before setting it aside, "Have you completely lost your mind? If you really think I'm actually going to shoot you…"

"Then accept that we're allies and we have to work together… to coexist. I'm the only friend and ally you've got right now Minerva," Claude said heatedly, "And if you think I'm going off here spouting my so-called idealistic bullshit again, then so be it. I don't care anymore. You still think this is all about you… well I'm sorry to say, it's not. I'm still in command and my responsibility right now is to find a way for us to survive. If you don't like that, then tough luck. You're going to have to learn to live with it."

Minerva blinked in surprise at his harsh rebuke and his unusual display of frank and honest anger. He took several breaths and let his temper cool before Minerva broke the silence, "What, you're not going to apologize or anything now, are you?"

"No."

Minerva surprised Claude by gracing him with a small quiet smile, "Good. That's the most forceful and honest I've ever seen you act around me. I can appreciate it."

He sighed and shook his head thinking she was being a little weird before they both settled back against the cellar wall, side by side. Minerva kept her eyes on the flickering light of the lantern, "You know Claude… I wasn't being completely honest with you before Siegval."

"What? You forgot some other mean thing you wanted to say to me?" he asked in a sarcastic mumble.

"Just be quiet and listen," she huffed, "It's true. I did resent you during our time at the academy and maybe I still do a little… about how easy it all comes to you with the issue of command."

"That's not exactly true," he admitted, "Half the time it feels like I don't know what I'm doing either… that I'm just making it up as I go along."

"Yet you seem to have the loyalty and unshakable trust of your squad behind you to carry out those impossible tasks," she explained, "No matter what I do to study, to train, or to prepare, I've never been able to best you. I've never been able to instill my people with that same will to win or the bonds of camaraderie. I wonder sometimes if that's why Squad F lost to Ausbruch in that ambush and why you might have succeeded had you been there."

Claude softened his expression, "Minerva…"

"I know it sounds a bit petty and insecure, but that's how I felt and maybe how I still feel a little now," she said, "And being around you and seeing you with your squad is just a constant reminder of my own shortcomings as a commander… and as a woman."

Claude raised a puzzled eyebrow, "What? I don't understand what you mean."

"No… I suppose you wouldn't," Minerva sighed as she leaned her head back to the wall and looked to the dark root-covered ceiling of their shelter. "You've always seemed to have tunnel vision about that kind of thing, especially now."

"What are you even talking about?"

Minerva looked to Claude with a level gaze and a stone faced expression, "What does it sound like? I'm saying I'm attracted to you Claude."

He stared at her in silence, unsure of how to respond. Considering the harsh and condescending way she always treated him before, he wasn't sure if this was some kind of prank. "Minerva, if this is some kind of weird joke then…"

She raised a solemn hand to silence him and shook her head, "No. I'm afraid not. You were honest with me right now so it's time I be completely honest with you too. It's a rare man that can prove to be superior to me much less my equal in the military. Even when we competed with each other as cadets back at the academy, I had a degree of admiration and respect for you. The fact that I came to admire you the way I do now really pissed me off and it drove me crazy."

"But what about all those other harsh things you've said before?"

"They were also true, but did you consider the fact that I was using that to protect my own pride too?" Minerva asked looking away in mild embarrassment, "Especially now?"

"I… I'm sorry. I really had no idea," Claude admitted rubbing the back of his neck with a sheepish expression.

Minerva sighed and shook her head while speaking in a gentler but more resigned tone, "Don't apologize. It's not like it would do much good at this point anyway."

"What do you mean?"

"Come on Claude, don't play dumb here," Minerva grumbled, "It's clear that there's a strong connection between you and Lt. Miller."

"Me and Riley?" Claude asked, "Well, maybe. We were childhood friends and all…"

It was true that Claude had always been in love with Riley even since they were young and at times he got the same impression that she felt the same way too. But after being separated for so long and in the midst of a chaotic war going on, he wasn't sure if this was the best time to really sort this out with Riley much less risk confronting her about it.

"My point exactly," Minerva sighed, "You have a shared history. She's not like me. She's perky and girly. She wears dresses and knows how to put on the whole sweet girl act. How could I ever compete with that?"

"Minerva, don't think like that…"

She fixed him with a pointed look and continued on her tirade, "But do you know what pisses me off the most about that? The fact that Lt. Miller is probably more than willing to reciprocate those feelings yet you're not going to do anything about it, because you're not man enough, are you?"

Claude blinked in shock as she got in his face and raised a finger, "Again, no matter how hard I try I still don't measure up. I can sit here and tell you directly to your face that I want you, but in the end it wouldn't matter, would it? You can speak so openly and honestly to me and tell me off right here, yet you can't say anything to Riley? It's because you're scared… too scared to be honest with the others and to her. Hell, if you were even attracted to me too, I'll bet you wouldn't even be honest with yourself either and…"

At that moment, Claude just snapped. He had to answer her goading insults and whether it was because she had spurred him on or to simply shut her up, he couldn't be sure anymore. He grabbed her accusatory hand and moved it aside so he could lean over and kiss her.

As much as he often quietly chafed at Minerva's barbs and haughty displays, Claude decided he might as well be just as honest. It would have been dishonest of him if he openly said he didn't find Minerva attractive in her own way. He decided to let his actions speak for themselves and Minerva gasped in surprise as his lips caught hers. Claude expected her to suddenly recoil or to rip her hand free to strike him back in outrage but he was surprised when she leaned forward and kissed him back with more fire and aggression behind it.

After a long moment, they broke off contact to take a breath and exchange a mutually surprised look. Minerva's lip curled in sly amusement, "I take that back Claude. Maybe you're not such a coward after all."

"This still doesn't change the way I feel about Riley," Claude said meeting her eyes with a serious expression.

"I'm not asking you to," Minerva said quietly as they both slowly leaned into another kiss. They would probably try to rationalize all this later on but right now reason didn't seem to matter much. Perhaps the saying was right that war changed people. Under no other circumstances would two people who had been such contentious rivals now be wrapped in each others arms sharing a fiery kiss of growing intensity. Maybe it was a cathartic release of so much pent up frustration and attraction, maybe it was a release valve from the fear and desperation of their dire situation, or maybe it was all just a way to try and stave off the icy grip of the winter cold outside.

Even amid the flickering light of the lantern, Claude and Minerva rolled over to the ground, still clinging to one other in a tight embrace while their lips remained locked. Every so often they took short breaths between kisses filled with desperation and aggression before they began to blindly fumble at the buttons of their coats. Before Claude and Minerva could get too carried away, they froze when they suddenly heard movement coming from above ground.

They broke their kiss and rolled off each other fumbling to snuff out the lantern and to grab their firearms. It was unlikely that the dim light of the lantern would have been seen from under the buried cellar doors and that the snowy elements would have drowned out any sounds of the two officers' little moment of passion just now. They waited in the depths of the chilly darkness holding their breaths with their rifles trained on the cellar doors while straining to listen to the movement above.

From under the snow and the buried cellar doors, they heard armored footsteps pacing around along with the muffled voices of some men talking. They heard an armored vehicle rumble from the nearby roadside and stop with its engine idling. Claude and Minerva wondered if the shifting winds and the snowdrifts hadn't been enough to cover their tracks. They feared that the Imperial scouts had found their hiding place buried under the snow and the vehicle was bringing reinforcements. After a short time, the soldiers' voices died away before the engine of the vehicle shifted up and drove away. Maybe the vehicle had come by to pick up the soldiers of that scouting patrol.

The two comrades remained tense and continued to sit in the darkness for a time making sure that the enemy was in fact gone and that they were no longer in danger. That had been much too close for comfort. After a while, they relaxed and lowered their rifles as Claude finally sighed in relief, "I think they're gone. Let's keep quiet for the rest of the night and kill any light source… just to be safe."

"Agreed," Minerva said as she scooted over and curled up under his arm. She huddled up into his shoulder and draped the blankets over them as they held each other close for warmth, "In the mean time, let's just do what we can to stay warm for tonight, okay?"

"Uh… right," Claude gulped noting just how close they were again with his arm draped over her, "You don't think we need to talk about what just happened earlier, do you?"

"No. I think we got our points across to each other," Minerva said quietly.

Claude nodded quietly, "Then you're sure you don't mind being like this right now?"

"I'll make an exception this time," Minerva mumbled enjoying the relative warmth as she closed her eyes and slowly drifted off into a brief peaceful sleep.

* * *

Meanwhile aboard the Federation snowcruiser _Centurion_ , Squad E had just been reassembled after hearing the bad news about their commanders earlier in the day. As the soldiers lined up within the large open vehicle bays, they formed up in ranks at parade rest when Captain Morgan entered to address them. From where he stood, Miles turned to Riley and asked, "Another meeting today? What do you think this is all about?"

Riley grimaced quietly, "I don't know Miles. Let's just hope the captain has some good news for us this time."

Everyone began to snap to attention when Captain Morgan entered but he waved it off, "At ease Squad E. I wanted to deliver an update to you about Captain Wallace and Lt. Victor. I felt it was only right I do it personally."

Raz and Kai exchanged an uneasy look between each other uncertain of what that meant before Captain Morgan cleared his throat, "It seems that your squad commanders are in fact alive. No more than twenty minutes ago, they were able to reach out and contact us over a radio signal. Riley began to sway and feel weak at the knees as Miles steadied her and Raz gave a low whoop of joy.

"I'll be damned, Claude did make it after all!"

Kai elbowed him to be quiet before the ship's captain spoke again, "I'm afraid the situation is still a bit precarious. The captain and lieutenant were briefly captured by the Imperials and are now on the run. When they contacted us by radio, Captain Wallace reported that he and Lt. Victor had succeeded in disabling that special ship-killing gun on the coastline. There was another impressed murmur that went through the ranks as Kai spoke up, "If the gun is down, what do you plan to do Captain?"

The ship's commander gave a wry smile and straightened up, "What else? I plan to go back there and finish what we started. I've already ordered that the ship be turned around and make for Regensbach at best speed. What I'm asking is if your squad will be ready to deploy in the morning?"

"All right, you can count on it sir," Raz exclaimed pumping an excited fist, "Let's go save Claude and take it to those Imps!"

The rest of the squad gave a cheer of agreement as they felt their morale begin to rise again. Kai gave a quiet smile before she began to give some orders, "All right everyone, let's get moving! Get your gear packed and ready and get some rest. We've got a busy day tomorrow!"

"Miles, let's get busy," Riley said holding up a wrench and gesturing to the _Hafen_. "We've got to make sure the _Hafen_ is warmed up and ready for Claude tomorrow when he comes back. He'll be counting on us."

Miles saluted and headed toward the tank for more maintenance, "Yes Ma'am. Let's not let our friends down then."


	5. Two if by Sea

Early the next morning, Claude and Minerva emerged from their underground shelter and slowly opened the cellar doors. They took a cautious look around and saw that the area was silent and empty in the early morning light. The storm had blown over and despite the shifting of the snow, they were able to make out the faint prints of boots from Imperial soldiers and the tire treads of some vehicles that went by during the night.

Claude took out his field compass and spent a moment to orient themselves toward the sea. As he did, Minerva held her rifle ready and checked her wristwatch, "It's 0600. We need to get moving Claude."

He nodded and the two began to jog across the open field toward their scheduled rendezvous point. All they had to do was make it to the edges of Regensbach's piers by 07:15. By then, the Centurion would be steaming back around the bend just as the sun would be coming up. Without the cover of night and the windy snow, Claude and Minerva hoped that the dim twilight of the early morning would keep them safely shrouded for a just a little while longer and a few miles more.

They made their way through the edge of the sleepy seaside town grateful that no one was on the streets of Regensbach right now. As they sprinted toward the piers, Minerva noticed Claude beginning to pant and she gave a sideways glance, "Hey, keep it down and stop breathing so hard. You need to get out of that tank more often and run a few laps."

"Ha ha, very funny," Claude huffed, "Remind me next time you need the _Hafen_ to get you through a field of enemy machine guns."

Once they cleared the town, they approached the piers of the coastline and rushed down to the frozen beaches to await rescue. They fixed their eyes to the horizon hoping to to see the _Centurion_ when a small hail of mortar fire whistled through the air and exploded some distance beyond them. The two Federation officers froze in horror and whirled around. That was when they caught sight of a platoon of Imperial soldiers emerging from behind the lip of some iced over dunes along with a few APCs that had been lurking in the snowbanks. By all accounts, it looked like this group of Imperials had laid a trap and now had their prey cornered. There was no way Claude and Minerva could hope to escape along the frozen shoreline. Their only hope was to try and run out toward the wasteland of the frozen seabed beyond.

One of the APCs idled forward and a figure emerged from the top hatch. It was the sadistic Lt. Irina Albrecht who wore a triumphant sneer, "Well it's about time you Feds showed up. You've been causing a great deal of trouble for us, and Col. Haussler doesn't like trouble."

"That can't be why he keeps you around then," Minerva retorted as she raised her rifle to shoot at the Imperial commander. She froze when she saw a dozen Imperial soldiers also raise their weapons with audible clicks.

Irina laughed, "I wouldn't do that if I were you Red. My orders were to take you in... alive if possible."

Claude decided to stall and try to keep her talking, "You knew our plan then?"

Irina smirked, "I'll give you some credit. I didn't think you two would be ballsy enough to destroy the shore cannon, but I also knew that there was nowhere else for you to go. No doubt you'd eventually come into town and try to find a way from the port. Maybe steal some mode of transportation or stow away on a vehicle."

"Well you caught us. Good for you," Minerva sighed in annoyance. Are you going to take us away?"

Irina shook her head, "No. I'm going to keep you here. Col. Haussler is already on the way here in his own personal tank. Once he arrives, I'm sure he'd love to play with you two. Maybe use you for target practice?"

Claude and Minerva exchanged a fearful look causing Irina to laugh, "And if you're thinking about running, you can forget it. Our mortar-men will blow you to pieces before you're even a hundred yards."

Claude glanced over his shoulder and caught sight of something before turning back to Irina with a small grin, "I think you're still underestimating us. You may have some big guns there, but we can still do one better."

In the distance, a series of loud booms were heard as streaks rained down from somewhere out at sea. Irina looked up in shock to see a volley of naval artillery fire rain down near their position. The shells blasted large craters on the coastline kicking up clouds of snow and ice that caused a confused panic among the assembled Imperial forces. Two of the Imperial APCs were caught in the blast and utterly destroyed causing more confusion. While the enemy was temporarily blinded, Claude and Minerva were thrown to the ground from the force of the blasts and scrambled to help each other back to their feet.

"I can't believe it! It's the _Centurion_!" Minerva cheered with a relieved smile, "They really came!"

"Come on! Let's go!" Claude shouted grabbing her wrist and leading the way as they made a desperate flight from the Imperials on the beach. The _Centurion_ itself was still some ways off and even though it was no longer threatened by the coastal guns, it served as a beacon of hope while it approached with the rising sun to its back. The two comrades decided to risk it and run out across the top of the frozen seabed in a mad dash to reach their allies. They shrugged off their backpacks which weighed them down. It was all or nothing right now.

As some of the smoke cleared, Irina gave a screech of fury, "Fools! Don't let the Feds get away! After them!"

Once of the other APCs carrying a handful of troops revved up and took off after the two escapees across the ice. Even with their head start, Claude and Minerva could see the enemy vehicle was catching up to them and they were still much too far from the ship. It was only a matter of time before they would be overrun. Upon realizing this, Minerva decided to stand a fight so she halted and whirled around, drawing a pistol that she carried at her side. It was a useless weapon, but it would be a defiant gesture. Claude halted and watched as she fired off a string of shots at the enemy vehicle. A few of the bullets deflected off the thick armor of the APC before he looked up and felt the wind suddenly shift.

He turned his head and a bright bolt streaked past and struck the APC at the same time as Minerva's last shot. The vehicle exploded and rolled sideways in a fiery wreck before Minerva and Claude turned to see where that other shot had come from. The snow trail of three familiar vehicles roared toward them in the wake of the _Centurion_ , serving as its vanguard force. Squad E's armored vehicles _Cactus_ and _Glory_ drove at the flanks while the _Hafen_ tank led the attack front and center. Claude and Minerva gave an ecstatic cheer as the Federation APCs sped past and prepared to disembark Squad E's infantry for a ground assault. The _Hafen_ braked and rolled up beside the two as Riley emerged from the hatch with a bright smile and a wink, "Hey! Need a lift?"

Claude's face lit up into a grin as he and Minerva scrambled up the side and regrouped. "Riley... I... I'm glad to see you. And Miles, you too!"

"Welcome back boss," his younger tank pilot called giving a thumbs up as Claude slid back into his tank's command chair, "Ready when you are."

Claude armed the tank's weapons and took up his radio as the first wave of troops were unloaded on the shoreline, "All right, listen up everyone! Let's break through that enemy defense line! This is an order! Give it all we've got! Finish them here and now!"

Upon hearing the voice of their squad commander again, the troops of Squad E were fired up and spurred to action as they felt the momentum of the battle now shifting in their direction. They fanned out and began to push forward into Regensbach while engaging the Imperial defenders in a fierce firefight. From her own vehicle, Irina called out and tried to urge her troops to stand their ground but they continued falling back into a rout as the Federation troops of Squad E outmaneuvered them at every turn.

From the top of the _Hafen_ where Minerva and Riley were riding, Minerva called down the hatch to Claude, "Heads up Claude! Lt. Albrecht is getting away! Let's go after her!"

Claude cleared a line of Imperial soldiers with a tank mortar shot and then eyed the battlefield. He caught the fleeing Imperial commander before radioing his own troops, "Raz? Kai? Think you can mop up and lock down the rest of the town?"

"Roger that Captain," Kai answered over her comm, "Good to have you back, sir."

"Okay Miles, after that APC. We'll probably have a heavy Imperial tank inbound so stay sharp."

As the the _Hafen_ shifted gears and went after Lt. Albrecht's fleeing vehicle, Riley braced herself on the speeding tank and gripped her folded up mortar assembly, "Don't worry Claude. If we run into any trouble from a tank, I've got a couple new bombshells to try out."

Minerva rolled her eyes and gave a quiet sniff to herself before going back to keeping her eyes peeled for danger. As they rumbled down the main road, it began to slope gently upward as it led toward the Imperial supply depot. Despite Miles pushing the engine, Albrecht's smaller vehicle was faster and remained just ahead. Riley watched and did some imaginary trajectories in her head, "Maybe if I can just set up aim over there..."

She didn't get to finish her sentence as a large Imperial heavy tank appeared at the crest of the hill and fired a mortar round which exploded in front of the _Hafen_. Minerva pulled Riley down into cover as Claude screamed for Miles to hit the brakes and reverse. From his position at the top of the hill, Lt. Col. Haussler grinned as he sighted the lone Federation tank scrambling to defend itself. Right now, his custom tank was guarding the front door and the high ground leading to his supply depot and he'd be damned if he let the Federation dogs take it from him. He ordered another shot fired and the gun crew unloaded another round at the _Hafen_.

The shot went wide and glanced off the armored flank of the _Hafen_ before exploding on some nearby trees. The tank was jostled and Minerva and Riley fell off into the dirt as the _Hafen_ changed gears and moved to engage the new threat. Claude took up his radio, "Minerva? Riley? Are you okay?

"We're fine," Minerva called as the two girls remained in the cover of a nearby ditch, "We're off the tank and taking cover."

"Understood. Miles? Try to give me a flanking angle on the Colonel's tank," Claude replied grimly, "We're switching to armor piercing rounds."

As the Hafen rumbled clear, Minerva gripped her rifle and pulled Riley to her feet, "Come on Lieutenant. Let's see if your new weapons are all they're cracked up to be."

The two women got up and rushed around the other way while the two tanks exchanged fire. Haussler's shot missed while the _Hafen_ 's round deflected off the heavy sloped armor on the front of the Colonels' tank. This was a risky matchup highlighting the strengths and weakness of both the Imperial and Federation tanks. The Empire's tanks tended to have heavier armor and more powerful guns but Federation tanks like the _Hafen_ made up for those shortcomings with greater speed and agility. Haussler knew Claude was trying to dance around and angle toward his weak point but that was only if Claude and Miles could avoid taking a lethal hit themselves.

Amid the explosions and spray of snow, Riley set up her mortar but came under fire from some Imperial troops at the edge of the base. Minerva gritted her teeth and fired back at them with her rifle, "Go! I'll cover you!"

Riley fumbled about and set up her weapon while one of Minerva's shots struck an Imperial trooper in the shoulder and dropped him. Riley aimed her mortar at Haussler's tank and loaded one of her experimental shells. The shells were designed to have a greater sonic shock that could disorient infantry and possibly even tank crews if the vibrations could penetrate the hull. She let one fly and it fell just short rattling the tank and shaking the icy hilltop where it was perched. As Minerva continued to lay down suppressing fire on the enemy troops, she watched as a second mortar shell hit the edge of Haussler's tank causing minor damage to the treads while a loud sonic boom echoed in the air.

"What the hell, Miller? Are you sure those bombs are even working?"

Riley huffed and switched her aim to fire another mortar shot and clear out the enemy troops who were harassing them, "Don't blame me! It's a work in progress!"

As the two tanks continued to maneuver in their deadly dance, Riley loaded her last shell and took one more shot. It struck the hilltop just under Haussler's tank causing part of the icy ground to give way in a miniature landslide of snow. The spot where Haussler had been perched crumbled causing the surprised Imperial Heavy tank to pitch forward and slide down the hill. Claude took his firing controls and sighted the _Hafen_ 's weapons while issuing new orders to his driver, "All right, floor it Miles! We're going on the offensive! Let's blast that tank with everything you've got!

Col. Haussler gave an alarmed cry as his tank continued to slide out of control and plow headfirst into a thick snowbank. Now that he was stuck, he realized he was vulnerable as the _Hafen_ circled around up the lip of the hill and took aim. Like most tanks, Haussler's vehicle had much thinner armor in the rear along with a volatile ragnite powered radiator affixed there. "Hurry up you fools! Full reverse! Reverse the gun mount!"

The colonel's frantic cries to his crew proved useless as the _Hafen_ fired an armor piercing shell directly into the weak rear hull of the enemy. From where they had hunkered down, Minerva and Riley gave a cheer toward the victorious _Hafen_ as the Imperial tank erupted into a bright cloud of shrapnel and billowing flames. Their victory was short lived as Lt. Albrecht sat in her APC watching in horror as her commander's tank went up in flames. She shoved the driver aside and took the wheel aiming the vehicle to run down Minerva and Riley who were standing nearby. There wasn't much she could do but if she was going to go down like Col. Haussler, she was going to take a few of the Feds with her.

Riley turned her head in alarm as she spotted the rogue Imperial vehicle rev its engine and come barrelling down toward them. "Uh... Minerva? We've got a problem!"

The redheaded scout adjusted her glasses in shock before shouting back, "Hurry up and mortar that thing Lieutenant!"

"I can't! I'm fresh out of ammo!" Riley yelled in alarm.

By now, the _Hafen_ was still some distance away and Claude just spotted Albrecht again. Unfortunately, her vehicle was moving too fast for their tank cannon to track properly. He exchanged an alarmed look with Miles and they sped forward, hoping they could still help in some way. Minerva stood her ground and reached for a rifle grenade before fixing it to her weapon. She'd only get one shot and she wanted to make it count. Riley cowered behind her while the scout raised her rifle with a cool vengeful calmness and then pulled the trigger using a similar strategy to her grenadier comrade. As Albrecht's vehicle came near, the rifle grenade struck the front tires and exploded sending the APC wobbling out of control. Albrecht screamed and tried to counter-steer but the vehicle lost balance and flipped over. It rolled sideways into the icy turf and crashed violently before coming to a stop.

Minerva gave a satisfied smile and helped an amazed Riley to her feet as the _Hafen_ rolled up. Claude opened the top hatch and gasped in relief, "Minerva! Riley! Are you two okay?"

"I will be in a minute," Minerva said as she walked over to the downed APC and saw a ragged Lt. Albrecht emerge. The Imperial officer stumbled out and collapsed in the snow from what was likely going to be a series of broken bones and bruising. Minerva stood over her defeated opponent and covered her with her rifle, "Lt. Albrecht. Nice to see you again."

Irina groaned and rolled over, trying to maintain some semblance of her defiant pride, "All right Red. You've got me. I'm guessing you're going to pay me back now? Kick me while while I'm down and beat me into submission?"

Minerva lowered her rifle with a small grin and shook her head, "No... I'm only going to demand one thing from you; your unconditional surrender as well as that of your supply base."

Irina scowled and passed out from her injuries as she lay back in the snow. Minerva turned to Claude, "I guess I'll take that as a yes."

Claude smiled in return and looked to the open front gates of the supply depot and the aftermath of the battle around them. He reached for his radio and spoke as the morning sun fully rose and cast its light over the captured town of Regensbach, "This is Captain Claude Wallace to Squad E. The enemy commanders have been neutralized. Good job everyone. Mission accomplished."

* * *

 **A/N:**  
 **All right troops, one more chapter left to go before closing this story out so hang in there. More to follow very soon.  
**


	6. Red Sky at Night

Having secured the town and the enemy base at Regensbach, the Federation forces went about resupplying themselves from the depot while disarming the remainder of the Imperial garrison there. Under the watchful eye of their officers, the Federation forces also made sure to the civilians of Regensbach were not harmed or looted either. Captain Morgan was not interested in taking prisoners and decided that once the Centurion had departed, the Imperial garrison would be released back to the town. Despite the near disaster at the start of the raid, Squad E and the crew of the Centurion were in good spirits once more. Their commanding officers had returned safely, the Imperials had been soundly beaten, and the Centurion was once again stocked full of food, supplies, and ammunition. Two busy days passed before the Centurion was once again underway to meet its sister ship and continue on its course for Schwartzgrad.

As early evening set in, Minerva Victor stood out on the forward deck of the ship by herself watching the icy expanse of the Crystal Sea glitter in the fading light. Considering it was winter and they were far north, the sun had begun to set relatively early but it didn't matter to her right now. Compared to the harrowing experience at Regensbach, it was almost impossible to feel cold now that everyone had returned to the safety of the ship. Up above in the skies, the colorful auroras of the Northern Lights had begun to light up the horizon and tonight it looked like the lights were predominantly red. Minerva took in a deep cleansing breath of the cold chilly air and then exhaled slowly watching the steam trail away in the gentle wind before she heard footsteps approach from behind.

"Trying your hand at the Wind Whispers?" Claude asked as he came to join her at the prow of the ship.

Minerva cast a sideways glance and gave a mild snort of amusement, "I had a lot on my mind. I thought I'd come out here and clear it."

"I can see what you mean," Claude noted looking at the rippling colors of the skies, "It's a nice evening and it looks like a good omen too. Red sky at night, sailor's delight... or at least that's what the navy guys were saying earlier."

After a short companionable silence, Claude asked, "Are you going to be okay? You said you were still dwelling on some stuff. Anything I can help with?"

"No. I don't think so," Minerva said quietly, "I was just thinking about Christel... along with everything else that happened in Regensbach these past few days."

"Oh... I see," Claude said, "Well, the important thing is we succeeded in our mission and got everyone back safely..."

"That's not exactly what I was getting at," Minerva answered as she turned to face him.

"Ah... right," Claude said awkwardly, "Listen Minerva, I'm sorry if I..."

"No. Don't apologize Claude," she said quickly holding up a hand to silence him, "I don't regret saying the things I said or, well... doing the things I did. I would hope you didn't either."

"No."

Minerva nodded solemnly, "Good. Then at the very least, I'm glad we got a chance to really be open and honest with each other back there... about what we think and how we feel about things."

Claude sighed and glanced at the auroras, "Yeah. Me too. For what it's worth though, I still think we made a pretty good team out there, don't you think?"

"I suppose so," she conceded while adjusting her glasses and smoothing out her scarf, "I'll admit, you were remarkably brave and heroic when you needed to be. Regardless, you should still consider yourself grateful that we got to work so... 'closely' together."

Claude shuffled his feet slightly, "About that. You aren't going to..."

"If it puts your mind at ease, I won't say anything to Riley," Minerva said primly, "I wouldn't want any scandalous rumors or impropriety to start damaging your squad's ability to focus on a mission. We all still have a job to do."

"I appreciate it," Claude said gently, "And thank you for helping protect Riley in that last battle too. She wanted me to tell you again."

"Oh? Well... I wasn't doing it as any special favor," Minerva said feigning indifference, "It was more out of professional courtesy _and_ the fact we're all still comrades in arms."

Claude gave a small smile, "Hmm... I see. So that probably doesn't mean you're starting to warm up to the rest of us, does it?"

Minerva looked him in the eyes and her lip curled slightly, "I think we're just going to have to agree to disagree about a LOT of things right now Claude Wallace. And while I still wouldn't go so far as to consider you my friend... I think it would be unfair of me to consider you as my enemy too."

In Minerva's own odd way, that statement was a sign of progress and a sort-of veiled compliment as well. Claude decided he'd take what he could get and gave a little chuckle, "All right, fair enough Minerva. That works for me."

He gestured back toward the hatches leading into the ship and began to walk away, "Now come on, let's go inside and grab some dinner. It's getting cold out here."

Minerva turned her head aside slightly, "I'm guessing Riley is waiting for you?"

"Yeah... she is," Claude nodded quietly.

"I see. Just give me a little while longer?" Minerva said as she continued to look out at serene otherworldly light of the shimmering auroras, "You can go ahead without me. But you can also stay for a bit... if you really want to."

He gave a gentle smile and walked back over to keep her company in her silent vigil, "Sure. I don't mind staying just a little while longer."

As Claude and Minerva stood in companionable silence reflecting on the recent events, nothing more had to be said out loud between them. They knew that there was still a very long road ahead. There would still be vicious battles left to fight and the war was far from over. But for now, there was a quiet truce in place between the two rival commanders. They savored that momentary peace and the resolution which had been brought about by mutual understanding of one another. It gave them hope that perhaps in time, they might yet become friends and that by war's end bitter adversaries like the Atlantic Federation and the East Europan Empire might yet find some way to achieve a lasting peace as well.

The End

* * *

 **A/N:**  
Thanks so much to everyone who's followed this story all the way, left a review, or even favorited it. I appreciate the support and really hope you enjoyed the fic too. I've always loved Valkyria Chronicles and have wanted to do a story for it for a long time. I figured why not try to flesh out Claude and Minerva a little more and provide some insights into their characters because they seemed to have an interesting relationship. Now before I finish, I'm going to thank you all one more time and then strike a dramatic commander pose while using up my last remaining Command Points here. ;)

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 **~ Sir Perfluous  
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